"The question is then...what values?

"Spiritual Covenant with America"

After reading Dana Dobson's input from last week, one that was deeply moving and challenging, I felt as if left with a huge void. Beyond all the wonderful statements of purpose - and thoughts, phrases and concepts - my mind (my soul?) felt as skidding without traction, maybe like hydroplaning must feel when it comes up, as one is cautiously driving under difficult sight conditions, barely being able to 'see', and feels - suddenly - a swift direction change under a loss of control that makes the heart sink, and skip a beat. No 'traction'. None. Meaning:..."and so...?"; "and then what?"

Yes! - to Dana's words. Yes! to Judi Neal's "higher level of consciousness".... where with "our interconnectedness with all things"..."we make a positive difference in the world"..."using the talent, money and global reach of business"...!
But...; really?! ...and how do we do that?

Then in my inbox there was an e-mail from tikkun.org, "An important message: A Spiritual Covenant with America". The coincidence, for one: the same theme again! Two, the salient points, those jumping out of the pages, such as: "The overbearing dominance of market values in our culture has left a vacuum in our public discourse regarding our collective civic purposes. "..."foundation for promoting the general welfare...These values include love, caring, compassion, tolerance, justice, a sense of care and respect for the natural world, a reverence for life, and the importance of the sanctity of conscience and personal liberty. "..."These values find ethical expression in universally recognized principles such as the Golden Rule which...should be promoted at all levels of decision making, including international affairs." Three: the excitement as before. Stop. Stop right there; let me catch my breath.

Are the pieces falling in place? Are we, "the denizens of the workplace", as Judi writes, who may have come to, or already "see 'work' as a spiritual exercise" , starting to "see" the pieces of the puzzle? The subject, the object, the objectives, the input/s, the process, the feedback, the environment, the attitude, the drivers, the motivators, the descriptors, and the consequences: are they coming together in a new model?

A model which lives in the 'now' and not in the perennial organizational memory of the ''developmental past" nor in the "promissory (illusory?) future", in what Judi - thru Dana's pen - describes as... "as we embrace each moment of our work day as a preciously carved instant"..."people seeing their work . . . as an opportunity to grow personally and to contribute to society in a meaningful way"..."learning to be more caring and compassionate with fellow employees, with bosses, with subordinates and customers"..."...It is about integrity...being true to one's self and telling the truth to others. It means attempting to live your values more fully in your work"...including receiving the support of the 'corporation' as..."organizations structure themselves to support the spiritual development of employees." Wow!

The pavement is starting to feel dry once again, and I think the windshield is sort of clearing up. Maybe I'll sip a WH coffee at the next exit.